Thursday, December 11, 2008

Train Station at Hue

The Train Station at Hue is either deserted or mobbed. That entirely depends upon the train schedule. As you can see from the below photo, this was way earlier than the train was expected to arrive. We also had to get our tickets, and we had first class reservations since the trip was an overnighter. All stations are lined with vendors vying for your business; it's mostly food and drink for the ride.

For all the francophiles out there, "Ga", meaning station, was taken from the French word "Gare". Since it was the French that built the railroad for the Vietnamese, I guess it makes some sense. But other words sneaked their way into the language. Here are a couple just for fun: bia (beer from the French bière); dam (woman from the French "Madame")and bup pe (doll from the French "poupée").

Though the line had barely three people in it, there was one particular individual who was intent in cutting in front of me. My guardian angel, who had been there when we arrived, showed up to say goodbye, I suppose. The photo I took of him is absolutely awful and unfocused, but the only one I have. He very kindly stepped to the window in front of the "shover" and allowed me to get the tickets. I was so grateful that I walked back with him to his little café/grocery across from the station to stock up for the trip. He had fresh croissants, coconut cookies, peanut and sesame brittle which were to become my new obsession, Snicker bars (hey!!), and bananas...I knew that whatever I bought would never go to waste, and of course, it was extremely inexpensive. I hope he sees his picture here. He thanked me profusely for my purchases.

Upon my return, we were told to move to the main "waiting area", and now I know why the station wasn't crowded. Everyone who was leaving Hue was in this room. After we sat, we quickly realized that the air conditioning system was on the blink. This is not a good thing. The windows were on the other side of the hall, and we decided, with all the luggage, to make a move to the other side, in search of air. Though we did not find much relief, we did manage to meet some of the nicest people who were seated in front and to the side of us.

This is when I learned all about the Viet Kieu, the term used for Vietnamese nationals who left the country , or rather escaped, after the American War, mostly from the South and made America their home. There is almost a quarter million of them living in Southern California, and these men proudly told us they were from America, and had come to Hue to visit family. The Viet Kieu contribute billions to the local economy in Vietnam through investments and family support. Until recently, and I don't know if the law has changed, but there was talk in the newspapers about allowing these expatriates to hold dual citizenship to make either visiting or re-locating to Vietnam more attractive.

It started innocently enough with the young woman who was sitting next to me in the stifling waiting room. She was a ceramics designer, and was accompanying the rest of the family, including the war veterans, to Saigon, for an even larger family reunion. As the conversation became wider, the men began to talk about fighting the war against the North, and then so proudly told us, we are Americans, just like you. I beamed. We would be waiting here for the train for over two hours, as mid-way through our wait, we heard over the loudspeakers that the train was being delayed. I kept thinking of the relief on board of the air-conditioned cars, which is a heavenly blessing in this type of weather. Suddenly, everyone was talking and exchanging business cards and emails. We ended up sharing our compartment with the traveler from Taiwan, a man who offered me a paper fan when he realized my distress with the heat. I still have it in my office, and it's purple, just like the Forbidden City of Hue.

1 comment:

Just look at those glemming white teeth (smiles) Your best picture and mine are when WE ARE AS ONE. I don't know how you cope with this. Agree, we were never happier and it does show. Miss you Maddddddly

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I chose to write about Viet Nam as I felt an unusual and uncharacteristic longing for this country, though I had no attachement to it, nor any of its inhabitants. The longing turned into reality a couple of years ago, and as a result became even more pronounced, - prompting a second visit. As I reflect, and immerse myself in the memories of these visits, I am aware that the similarities between Viet Nam and Egypt are not coincidental. Both countries were heavily influenced by French presence, and to this day, that presence is felt in the architecture, the infrastructure, and the cuisine of both countries. But so much more in Viet Nam that in Egypt, as the latter wishes to eradicate any ties to its non-arabic past.EMAIL ME

More than 500 artisans, artists and athletics from Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa provinces are attending the Vietnam Coastal Village Festival which opened in the south-central province of Ninh Thuan on August 2.(Detail)

The Lang Co Festival 2011 – the World Beautiful Bay will be held in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on July 9-10 to promote tourism and encourage investment in the Lang Co-Chan May economic zone.(Detail)

Hoi An ancient city People’s Committee will coordinate with the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam and the Japan Centre for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam to organize the 9th Vietnam-Japan cultural exchange on August 21st and 22nd.(Detail)

The Culture, Sports and Tourism Festival of Vietnam’s ethnic groups in the Central Coastal and Highland region with the theme “Sea and Island Tourism” will be held in Phu Yen Province by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Phu Yen Provincial People's Committee from July 1st to 9th 2011. (Detail)

The Quang Binh Culture and Tourism Week 2011 with many plentiful and diversified activities will take place from June 5 to 11, 2011 in Quang Binh Province. This is the first event held to welcome the new tourism season in Quang Binh.(Detail)

International visitors to Vietnam in November estimated 387,871 arrivals. Totally, international visitors in 11 months reached 3,400,088 arrivals, 12.3% lower than those in the same period of year 2008. (Detail)

Getting married is an important event in a Vietnamese’s life. The procedure of the ancient wedding ceremony was very complicated. Current wedding ceremony procedures include the following steps: the search for a husband or wife, the proposal, the registration, and finally the wedding.(Detail)

The Quiet American

The Lover (L'amant)

QUICK TIPS FOR FIRST TIME VISITORS

Vietnam is still traditional despite its giant leaps forward. Please try to observe the following:

· Leave the cut-offs at home; dress modestly, and women should avoid plunging necklines.· Don’t touch anyone on the head, children included.· Don’t do anything with your left hand, which is considered dirty (lefties, I have no advice for you). · Don’t give white flowers; any other color is okay.· If you’re going out to dinner, communal dishes are shared by all.· When eating, don’t rest your chopsticks on top of the bowl, but rather to the side.· Don’t cross your legs when sitting on a chair.· Don’t point (I have this terrible habit!!).· If you wear a hat, remove it for elderly, monks, and ladies.· Don’t tell people you are not married (if you are single, they will pity you; if you are living together, talk about your children).· Don’t give children money, sweets, clothes, or any medicine.· Appropriate gifts are pictures: you, your family, your country, the community; I had some fridge magnets with New York and the U.S. flag, colored markers that delighted the kids. Best Way To Get Around:Take cabs everywhere; they are inexpensive, fast, and can get you to most destinations for under US$5 unless you’re going out of town.

If you are a very experienced motorbike rider, you may want to give it a try, but do keep in mind you are taking your life in your hands, literally.

People in the imperial capital of Hue are very good at cooking so they have many recipes to unique and delicious dishes using salt with cereals, vegetables, meat and fish. One of these delicacies is rice served with salt. There are up to a dozen kinds of salt, such as muoi tieu (pepper salt), muoi vung (sesame salt), muoi sa (lemongrass salt), muoi rieng (galingale salt), muoi tom (shrimp salt) and muoi thit heo (pork salt). The dish is imbued with the culinary art of Hue and is a favourite of both the poor and the rich.
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Hue rice vermicelli soup is a popular dish both in the north and the south of Vietnam. The dish has a typical sweet taste of mam ruoc (a special shrimp paste in the south), the aroma of lemongrass and the peppery flavour of stewed dried chilli. Rice vermicelli threads used for the dish must be white, soft and big.
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Hanoi is famous for its culinary arts. Visiting Hanoi, people have a chance to enjoy hundreds of delicacies and snacks. For instance, there are dozens of dishes served with vermicelli. These delectable dishes include Bun thang (vermicelli soup with chicken, egg and pork), Bun moc (vermicelli soup with meat balls, Bun rieu (crab noodle soup) and Bun ca (fish noodle soup). It is impossible not to mention most people’s favorite, Bun cha kep que tre (vermicelli with pork grilled over charcoal).
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When speaking about this dish, people think of the greasy flavour of eel, the light, sour taste of thickened rice vinegar and the typical salty taste of shrimp paste. This dish is best served with rice or rice vermicelli in cold weather.
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Tet (Lunar New Year Holidays) is a special occasion for family res and enjoying traditional delicious dishes, such as lean pork pie, Banh chung (square glutinous rice cake) and dried bamboo shoot soup, an indispensable dish during the feast for Tet of people in northern Vietnam. The dish shows the culinary cultural features of Vietnamese people who often make dishes from materials found in the forests and mountainous areas.
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